History of Ronna McDaniel in Timeline
Ronna Romney McDaniel is an American political strategist known for her role as chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC) from 2017 to 2024. Prior to leading the RNC, she served as chair of the Michigan Republican Party from 2015 to 2017. A member of the Republican Party and the Romney family, she played a significant role in Republican politics.
1970: Grandmother's Senate Run
In 1970, Ronna McDaniel's grandmother, Lenore Romney, ran for the U.S. Senate.
March 20, 1973: Ronna Romney Born
On March 20, 1973, Ronna Romney, later known as Ronna Romney McDaniel, was born. She is the granddaughter of Michigan Governor George W. Romney.
1988: Mother's Delegate Role
In 1988, Ronna McDaniel's mother was a delegate to the Republican National Convention.
1996: Mother's Senate Campaign
In 1996, Ronna McDaniel's mother ran for the U.S. Senate against Carl Levin.
2012: Work on Mitt Romney's Campaign
In 2012, Ronna McDaniel worked in Michigan for her uncle Mitt Romney's presidential campaign.
2014: Elected to Republican National Committee
In 2014, Ronna McDaniel was elected as Michigan's representative to the Republican National Committee (RNC).
February 2015: Elected Chair of Michigan Republican Party
In February 2015, Ronna McDaniel was elected chair of the Michigan Republican Party, succeeding Bobby Schostak.
2015: Support for Chairmanship
In 2015, companies supported Ronna McDaniel's run for the chairmanship of the Republican Party in Michigan.
November 13, 2016: Priebus Announced as White House Chief of Staff
On November 13, 2016, Reince Priebus was announced as the new White House Chief of Staff, turning the RNC chairman election into an open seat election.
December 14, 2016: McDaniel Recommended for RNC Chair
On December 14, 2016, Ronna McDaniel was chosen by then president-elect Trump as his recommendation to replace Priebus as RNC chair.
2016: Delegate and Candidate for RNC Chair
In 2016, Ronna McDaniel served as a delegate for Donald Trump at the Republican National Convention and became a candidate to chair the Republican National Committee after the election.
January 19, 2017: Elected as RNC Chair
On January 19, 2017, Ronna McDaniel was officially elected as RNC chair, becoming the second woman in RNC history to hold the post.
October 2017: McDaniel comments on Weinstein donations
In October 2017, Ronna McDaniel stated that the Democratic Party should return Harvey Weinstein's "dirty money" after he was accused of sexual abuse.
December 2017: RNC Funding for Roy Moore
In December 2017, the White House influenced Ronna McDaniel to resume RNC funding for Roy Moore, who lost the special Alabama Senate election.
January 2018: RNC's Financial Advantage
As of January 2018, under Ronna McDaniel's leadership, the RNC had almost $40 million banked while the Democratic National Committee had $6.3 million.
January 2018: McDaniel responds to Wynn allegations
In January 2018, after Steve Wynn resigned as RNC finance chairman due to sexual misconduct allegations, Ronna McDaniel defended allowing him "due process" and stated his donations would only be returned after investigation.
April 2018: Praised Trump as a "moral leader"
In April 2018, Ronna McDaniel publicly praised Donald Trump as a "moral leader."
April 2018: RNC attacks James Comey
In April 2018, under Ronna McDaniel's leadership, the RNC launched a website attacking former FBI Director James Comey, labeling him "Lyin' Comey".
November 2018: McDaniel urges McSally to be more aggressive
In November 2018, Ronna McDaniel reportedly called on Martha McSally to be more aggressive during the ballot counting process in the Arizona Senate race, as McSally's lead narrowed.
2018: Early Campaign Support for Trump
In 2018, the RNC, under Ronna McDaniel's leadership, began running ads for Donald Trump's 2020 campaign and placed Trump affiliates on the RNC payroll.
January 2019: Criticism of Mitt Romney's Editorial
In January 2019, Ronna McDaniel criticized her uncle Mitt Romney's editorial criticizing President Trump's moral character.
March 2019: Statements on Supporting Candidates
In March 2019, Ronna McDaniel stated she would not support the "nicest, most moral person in the world" to be president if they were not aligned with her politics.
May 2019: Criticism of Justin Amash
In May 2019, Ronna McDaniel criticized House Representative Justin Amash for calling for Trump's impeachment, saying he was "parroting the Democrats' talking points on Russia".
May 2019: Wynn's donations to the Republican Party
In May 2019, it was reported that Steve Wynn had donated nearly $400,000 to the national Republican Party the previous month, most of it to the RNC. As of May 2019, none of the money had been returned by the RNC, and Steve Wynn has never been convicted of the allegations.
September 2019: McDaniel emails Doug Manchester for donations
In September 2019, Ronna McDaniel emailed Doug Manchester, requesting $500,000 in donations to the Republican Party while his ambassadorship nomination was stalled. This led to accusations of a "possible pay-for-play scheme".
2019: Re-elected as RNC Chair
In 2019, Ronna McDaniel was re-elected as RNC chair in a unanimous election with the endorsement of Donald Trump.
February 2020: Trump's Downplaying of Coronavirus
In February 2020, President Trump said he was intentionally downplaying the coronavirus.
May 13, 2020: RNC contracts awarded to McDaniel's connections
On May 13, 2020, it was reported that the RNC, under Ronna McDaniel, awarded contracts to companies closely connected to her, including her husband's company and those that supported her 2015 chairmanship run.
May 2020: Opposition to Voting Measures
In May 2020, the RNC allocated $20 million to oppose Democratic lawsuits to make voting easier during the coronavirus pandemic, with Ronna McDaniel accusing Democrats of trying to "destroy" and "assault" the integrity of elections.
June 2020: RNC Video Warning About Voter Fraud
In June 2020, Ronna McDaniel shared a RNC video warning about voter fraud in the upcoming 2020 election due to expansions of vote-by-mail related to the coronavirus pandemic.
September 2020: Defense of Trump's Handling of Coronavirus
In September 2020, Ronna McDaniel defended Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, saying that "history will look back on him well".
2020: Claims of Voter Fraud
In 2020, Ronna McDaniel and the RNC made claims of voter fraud after Joe Biden's election victory and helped organize fake electors for Trump.
2020: Investigation begins into Manchester nomination
In 2020, a federal investigation began into Doug Manchester's nomination for ambassador to the Bahamas, potentially involving Ronna McDaniel and other RNC figures.
2020: RNC Ran Ads for Trump
In 2020, under Ronna McDaniel's leadership, the RNC ran ads for Donald Trump's campaign.
2020: Statements About Election
Ronna McDaniel made statements about the 2020 election, including instances of undermining journalism and attacks on journalistic integrity.
2020: RNC Support for Trump's Campaign
Throughout 2020, Ronna McDaniel, as RNC chair, oversaw the RNC's support for Donald Trump's campaign, including running ads and placing Trump affiliates on the payroll.
January 2021: Endorsement to Continue Leading RNC
In January 2021, while making claims of electoral fraud, President Trump endorsed Ronna McDaniel to continue to lead the RNC.
May 2021: Federal grand jury issues subpoena related to Manchester nomination
In May 2021, it was reported that a federal grand jury had issued a subpoena in a criminal investigation into Doug Manchester's nomination, seemingly focused on the RNC, Ronna McDaniel, RNC co-chairman Tommy Hicks, and potentially members of Congress.
November 2021: RNC Covered Trump's Legal Fees
By November 2021, the RNC, under the leadership of Ronna McDaniel, was still covering the legal fees for former president Trump related to investigations into his financial practices in New York.
2021: Statement Supporting LGBT Pride Month
In 2021, Ronna McDaniel issued a statement supporting and celebrating LGBT Pride Month and announced the creation of the RNC Pride Coalition.
2021: Re-elected as RNC Chair
In 2021, Ronna McDaniel was re-elected as RNC chair in a unanimous election with the endorsement of Donald Trump.
December 2022: Criticism of RNC Leadership
In December 2022, Axios reported that Ronna McDaniel had not presided over a single positive election cycle as chair of the RNC.
2022: Absence of Pride Month Statement
In 2022, Ronna McDaniel did not issue a statement supporting LGBT Pride Month following backlash from social conservatives.
2022: Efforts to Censure Republican Members of Congress
In 2022, Ronna McDaniel led efforts within the RNC to censure Republican members of Congress Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger for their involvement in investigating the U.S. Capitol attack.
2022: Censure of Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger
In 2022, Ronna McDaniel orchestrated the censure of Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger for their involvement in the House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack, characterizing the event as "legitimate political discourse".
January 27, 2023: Re-elected as RNC Chair for Fourth Term
On January 27, 2023, Ronna McDaniel was re-elected to stand as the Chair for the RNC going into the 2024 U.S. presidential election, winning a fourth term.
2023: Absence of Pride Month Statement
In 2023, Ronna McDaniel did not issue a statement supporting LGBT Pride Month following backlash from social conservatives.
February 6, 2024: Report of Intention to Resign
On February 6, 2024, The New York Times reported that Ronna McDaniel intended to resign after the South Carolina Republican presidential primary, following dissatisfaction from Trump.
February 26, 2024: Resignation Announcement
On February 26, 2024, Ronna McDaniel announced her resignation as RNC chair following Donald Trump's victory in the South Carolina Republican presidential primary.
March 8, 2024: End of RNC Chair Term
On March 8, 2024, Ronna McDaniel's term as RNC Chair officially ended.
March 2024: Brief Tenure as NBC News Contributor
In March 2024, Ronna McDaniel briefly worked as an on-air political contributor for NBC News before her tenure ended.
March 22, 2024: NBC News hires McDaniel as contributor
On March 22, 2024, NBC News announced it had hired Ronna McDaniel as a contributor, which faced immediate backlash from network hosts.
